In one aspect, this invention relates to the preparation of materials which are active as alkane/cycloalkane isomerization catalysts. In another aspect, this invention relates to the use of materials prepared by methods of this invention as catalysts for isomerizing cycloalkanes. In a further aspect, this invention relates to the use of materials prepared by methods of this invention as catalysts for isomerizing alkanes.
The use of combinations of aluminum chloride and certain metal sulfates and chlorides (in particular CuSO.sub.4 and CuCl.sub.2) for alkane isomerization is known and has been described in various scientific articles. The present invention is directed to the preparation of catalyst materials from aluminum chloride, certain metal sulfates and/or chlorides, and a specific inorganic support material. These novel catalyst compositions can be used as solid isomerization catalysts, e.g., in fixed catalyst bed operations for isomerizing cycloalkanes and/or alkanes.